chapter_0177

176 – That’s Not What I Ordered

176 – That’s Not What I Ordered

After sending Count Opilo back, Daniel headed to the underground prison with Frien.

Daniel had originally intended to leave everything to Frien, but he changed his mind after seeing Opilo’s attitude.

He thought it was right to obtain the list of collaborators from Duke Belvar as quickly as possible and eliminate them, so that the aristocratic alliance would not come up with other schemes.

Thus, Daniel went down to the Central Security Agency’s underground with Duke Belvar’s family and soldiers, and looked around.

Under the indifferent glare of the incandescent light bulbs, several nobles were living like prisoners in iron cages.

The nobles, who looked shabby because they hadn’t been able to wash properly, lowered their heads or averted their eyes whenever Daniel passed by.

They were cowering in fear like puppies facing a tiger.

Seeing this, he felt a chilling thought.

‘If the 7th Armored Division had suffered near-total annihilation on the Eastern Front…’

The person who would be branded a traitor and locked in a cage now would have been none other than Daniel.

The fact that the victor took everything and controlled the loser’s life showed how cruel power could be.

Even so, he didn’t feel a shred of sympathy for them.

These were collaborators who had bet on Duke Belvar, who had driven their own country’s soldiers to their deaths.

As Daniel, looking at them with disdain, averted his gaze, Frien, who was walking ahead, stopped.

“Here it is. The place where Duke Belvar is imprisoned. There are quite a few visitors, but the space is quite large, so everyone can fit in.”

Frien, speaking in a clear voice, took out a keyring from her waist and opened the iron bars.

Frien entered first, followed by Daniel and Duke Belvar’s family in a line.

The first thing Daniel saw upon entering was Duke Belvar, tied to a chair under a dimly flickering incandescent light bulb.

His hands and feet were covered in blood, and there were clear traces of blood caked around his mouth, probably from the harsh torture he had suffered from Frien.

Nevertheless, he looked quite intact on the surface, because Frien had used her unique healing magic to restore Duke Belvar’s body to its original state immediately after finishing the torture.

‘So, in theory, she can inflict eternal pain. This is hell.’

As Daniel clicked his tongue, Peremilla, who had entered late, gasped and covered her mouth.

The other family members also gasped or began to sob quietly upon seeing Belvar’s ruined appearance.

This was because it was the first time they had seen Belvar, who had always been strong and authoritarian, in such a fallen state.

“Father…”

“How could Duke Belvar be like this…”

“It can’t be. Father…”

Belvar’s family members muttered in shock, but Frien didn’t care.

She simply walked lightly towards Belvar, who was bowing his head and not moving.

“Duke? It’s me.”

She spoke in a gentle voice, but Belvar still didn’t move.

“Oh dear. It seems like he hasn’t come back from being unconscious yet. In that case, I’ll perform a little magic.”

Frien, speaking as if explaining to an audience, placed her hand on Belvar’s head.

A black aura seemed to ripple from her fingertips, and Belvar’s body twitched as if having a seizure.

Immediately after, Belvar’s parched lips slowly opened.

“…Is it you again. How many times do I have to say it? There is no information you can get from me.”

Frien, confirming that Belvar’s mind had returned, withdrew her hand.

“You have an amazing willpower, as expected. I’ve used all sorts of methods to try to make Duke Belvar open his mouth. An ordinary person would be crying and begging to say something by now.”

A faint smile spread across Belvar’s lips.

“What difference does it make if I tell you everything I know? To avoid being tortured until the trial and sentencing? Forget about it!”

Belvar shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

“I’m going to die anyway. I’ll just think of it as paying for my sins in advance before I die. So no matter how skilled you are at torture, I will never open my mouth.”

“Is that so? Hmm. But wouldn’t it be different if the people suffering were Duke Belvar’s family members?”

“Family? What are you talking about…”

Belvar, who had inadvertently raised his head, was speechless.

Peremilla was visible beyond the hair that had fallen forward.

It wasn’t just Peremilla.

The second and third sons were also looking at him with tense expressions.

At first, he thought his mind, unable to bear the pain, was seeing things.

But no matter how much he blinked, the family members in front of him did not disappear.

“Why are you here? You should have left a long time ago. Why are you…”

Belvar’s voice was trembling for the first time.

Daniel, confirming that Belvar was agitated, quietly opened his mouth.

“I will state the conditions now.”

Belvar, hearing Daniel’s voice, quickly turned his head to look at Daniel.

Daniel, standing with his arms crossed, was visible in Belvar’s bewildered and trembling eyes.

“Duke Belvar. If you want to protect your family’s safety, tell me everything you know. If you refuse again this time, I will have no choice but to use the worst method you can imagine.”

Belvar did not answer.

He was too confused by the current situation to figure out how to deal with it.

Belvar’s eyes trembled slightly as his breathing quickened.

“No way. How? My family should have already arrived in the port city of Lost Bellemont when Daniel Steiner stormed into the Imperial City. But how could they have been captured?”

Belvar, muttering blankly, stared at Daniel.

“Could it be that you used a private organization to move in advance?”

Belvar chuckled when Daniel didn’t answer.

“Excellent. Very excellent. You don’t care about the means or methods to root out your political enemies. Then let me ask you. How are you any different from Count Caledra now? Just like that guy made his king a puppet to gain power, you are also making the Emperor of the Empire-”

Frien swung her hand.

Slap─

Belvar’s jaw turned as he was hit squarely on the cheek.

Frien, looking down at Belvar indifferently, moved her lips.

“Don’t insult Colonel Daniel again. This is your last warning.”

Frien’s lips were smiling, but her eyes were extremely fierce.

“Also, it seems like you don’t fully realize what situation you’re in right now. So I’ll kindly explain it to you.”

Frien lightly grabbed Belvar’s shoulder.

“First, we’ll start with the eldest son. We’ll put a chair in front of Duke Belvar and tie him up in the same way, then we’ll torture him in all sorts of ways. Not only what Duke Belvar has suffered, but we’ll also introduce new torture methods. How does that sound? Doesn’t it sound fun?”

Belvar felt anger and bit his teeth, but Frien didn’t care.

“Duke Belvar’s other family members will also be tortured one by one. Think about it. Who will Duke Belvar’s family members, screaming in pain, blame in the end? Me? Or…”

Frien, bowing her head, whispered in Belvar’s ear.

“You, who led your innocent family to hell?”

Belvar’s hands, tied to the chair, twitched.

Belvar thought.

About his family members, tied to chairs on the opposite side, being tortured by Frien.

It was as if the screams, resentment, and tears they were shedding were being replayed in his head.

A groan leaked out from between Belvar’s trembling teeth.

The groan soon became a sob, causing Belvar’s eyes to become wet.

He had kept his mouth shut to protect his family.

But if keeping his mouth shut only brought pain to his family, what was the point?

‘Moreover…’

The crazy woman in front of him was a woman of action.

She would never hesitate if what she was doing benefited Daniel Steiner.

After talking to her here for a while, he realized that she was the type of person who would even give her life for Daniel Steiner.

‘So…’

The words Frien was uttering now could be seen as Daniel Steiner’s intentions.

‘This woman is merely representing Daniel Steiner’s intentions.’

Thinking so, Belvar looked at Daniel with fear.

He was standing with his arms crossed, with cold eyes throughout, like a cold-blooded person.

‘He doesn’t even blink an eye even though he’s torturing innocent people…’

Just as Belvar was feeling a sense of resignation, Daniel was secretly sweating.

‘No. Frien? Why are you going so far…’

It wasn’t that he wasn’t blinking an eye, but Daniel was also frozen in surprise.

He didn’t think Frien would torture all of Belvar’s family members one by one.

But Belvar, who couldn’t know that, felt that there was no way out.

“…I will speak.”

If there was hell, this would be it.

Belvar, closing his eyes, opened his mouth at the end of his sobs.

“I’ll tell you everything you want, so…”

Belvar, taking a deep breath and opening his eyes, looked at Daniel, not Frien, and pleaded.

“Colonel Daniel Steiner. I beg you like this.”

Belvar, who had given up everything, continued to speak with a distorted expression.

“Please, save my family.”

Daniel’s eyebrow twitched when he saw that.

‘Why me…’

To be honest, he felt a little wronged.

‘It’s a relief that things worked out well, but…’

He couldn’t hide the uneasy feeling that another bad reputation had been added.

Author’s Note

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